The invention relates generally to the field of mailing systems and, more particularly, to systems for maintaining the integrity of a mailing.
Governments have created post offices for collecting, sorting and distributing the mail. The postal service typically charges mailers for delivering the mail. Mailers may pay the post office for its service by purchasing a stamp, i.e., a printed adhesive label, issued by the post office at specified prices that is affixed to all letters, parcels or other mail matter to show prepayment of postage.
Another means of payment accepted by the post office is mail that is metered by a postage meter. A postage meter is a mechanical or electromechanical device that maintains, through mechanical or xe2x80x9celectronic registersxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpostal security devices,xe2x80x9d an account of all postage printed, and the remaining balance of prepaid postage; and prints postage postmarks (indicia) or provides postage postmarks (indicia) information to a printer that are accepted by the postal service as evidence of the prepayment of postage.
Other methods of payment accepted by the post office are for manifest mail and permit mail. In a typical manifest mailing system, a mailer produces mail in accordance with a mail manifest list and determines the quantity of mail and weight thereof. Then the mailer prepares the appropriate postal forms and delivers the mail and forms to the post office. Then, the post office checks the manifest list, the appropriate forms and checks the quantity and weight of the mail. The post office also requires permit imprints to be printed on the mail piece. The mailer prepares postal forms and brings the mail and postal forms to the post office. The post office checks the forms, checks the mail pieces and confirms that the completed forms coincide with the checked mail pieces. Then the postal clerk debits the value of the postage placed on the mail pieces from the mailer""s postal account. Groups of individuals and businesses that produce very large quantities of mail use manifest and permit mail.
Major mailers typically use manifest and permit mail for their bulk mailings. Correspondences, bills, sales literature, marketing material, advertisements, coupons, dunning letters, etc. may be inserted into mail pieces produced by major mailers. Files that represent the mail piece are typically stored in a computer where the files may be presorted for the trays in which they will be transported.
A disadvantage of the prior art is that it is difficult for the post office to maintain the integrity of the mail pieces in a bulk mailing.
This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by reducing the cost to the mailer and the post office or other carrier to prepare and process bulk mailings while maintaining the integrity of the mail pieces in a bulk mailing.
The foregoing is accomplished by constructing a hierarchy of radio frequency identification tags that are related to the mail pieces in mail trays and the pallet on which the mail trays sit. This hierarchical method provides a layered approach that is designed to minimize the probability that a mailer or the post office will misassemble or misroute a mailing or elements of a mailing.
From a mailing integrity point of view, a cross-reference between hierarchical components of the invention is established, namely mail piece, tray or sack containing mail pieces, palette containing trays, and vehicle containing palettes. The hierarchical components of the system are typically under the control of different entities. For example, mail pieces and trays and sacks are under the control of the mailer during the mail generation process. On the other hand, palettes and vehicles are under the control of the post office and/or an independent transportation contractor. Thus, various means of identification may be employed and, when desired, the information may be encrypted for the exchange of information between the hierarchical components; i.e., communication networks, telephone, internet, CD ROMs, etc.